GUINEA-BISSAU
Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a small West African country located along the Atlantic coast and bordered by Senegal and Guinea. Its capital and largest city is Bissau. As of 2023–2025 estimates, the population is roughly 2 million people.
​
Guinea-Bissau is ethnically diverse, with major groups including the Balanta, Fula, Manjaco, Mandinka, Papel, and Bijagó peoples. Portuguese is the official language, but Crioulo (Kriol) is the most widely spoken language and serves as a unifying tongue across different ethnic groups. The country’s culture reflects a blend of Indigenous traditions, Islam, Christianity, and traditional African spiritual practices.
FAMILY
This category includes anything related to a client’s home life, relationships with parents, siblings, or extended family, and the roles they play within their household. It also covers family expectations, communication patterns, cultural values, responsibilities, conflicts, and any major events or changes happening at home. The goal is to understand how the client’s family environment shapes their daily stress, emotional wellbeing, and behavior.
This blog post from the Consulate of Guinea-Bissau in Málaga explores the traditions and customs of the Bijagó people, a matriarchal society of the Bijagós Islands. It discusses the strong roles women hold, communal decision-making, and how family and social responsibilities are shared across gender and generation.
This encyclopedia entry provides a comprehensive overview of Guinea-Bissau’s historical, social, and cultural development—from its colonial past to independence and beyond. It outlines how ethnic, religious, and family structures were shaped by slavery, colonization, and migration, and how these legacies continue to influence identity, community relationships, and social norms.
This article explores what life is like for children in Guinea-Bissau, focusing on family dynamics, community support, schooling, and daily social structures.
This article from the Borgen Project lists key facts about living conditions in Guinea-Bissau, highlighting how poverty, education, health, and infrastructure impact daily family life and community support systems.
COMMUNITY
This category explores how people in Guinea-Bissau live together beyond the nuclear family — their neighborhoods, friendships, communal networks, social expectations, village or urban community structures, and how these influence daily life, social support, identity, and belonging. It covers social norms, community rituals, mutual aid, socialization practices, and how daily life is shaped by community ties.
Covers communication styles, norms around respect, community expectations, and how social harmony is maintained. Gives counselors insight into interpersonal behaviors.
Provides an overview of Guinea-Bissau’s ethnic groups, community organization, social customs, and cultural values. Helpful for understanding how communal living and kinship shape daily interactions.
Highlights community challenges, access to resources, education, and social structures. Useful for understanding how environment impacts family and social relationships.
This video introduces key cultural expectations in Ghana, explaining actions visitors should avoid and traditions to respect for harmonious social interactions.
RELIGION
This category explores the beliefs, spiritual practices, and religious values that shape a client’s worldview. In many African communities, religion is deeply connected to daily life, moral expectations, community belonging, and decision-making. By understanding the client’s religious background—whether traditional beliefs, Christianity, Islam, or blended practices—counselors can better interpret their coping styles, sources of support, stress responses, and the meaning they attach to personal struggles.
Gives a clear breakdown of the country’s religious composition — including Islam, Christianity, and traditional African religions. Useful for understanding how diverse beliefs coexist and influence daily life.
Explains how Islam, Christianity, and Indigenous spiritual traditions shape culture, rituals, and community relationships. Helps counselors understand the spiritual blend many Guinean-Bissauans practice.
Provides a concise summary of religious demographics, including the influence of animist beliefs, syncretism, and the blending of Islam/Christianity with older spiritual practices.
This article gives an accessible overview of the diverse religious landscape of Guinea-Bissau, explaining how Islam, Christianity, and traditional Indigenous beliefs coexist across different ethnic groups.